Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago And Long Before eBook

of certain families of the more common order, which
we have just mentioned, and some titled chief, to
whom the village looks up as their political head
and protector. It is usual, in the courtesies
of common conversation, for all to call each other
chiefs. If you listen to the talk of little boys
even, you will hear them addressing each other as
chief this, that, and the other thing.
Hence, I have heard a stranger remark, that the difficulty
in Samoa is, not to find who is a chief, but to find
out who is a common man.

As the chief can call to his aid, in any emergency,
other chiefs connected with the same ancient stock
from which he has sprung, and as he looks upon the
entire village as his children, and feels bound to
avenge their wrongs, it is thought essential to have
some such head in every settlement. If anything
in the clubbing way is to be done, no one but the
chief, or his brother, or his son, dare do it.
With few exceptions, he moves about, and shares in
every-day employments, just like a common man.
He goes out with the fishing party, works in his plantation,
helps at house-building, and lends a hand at the native
oven. There are still, however, although not at
first sight to a European eye, well-defined marks
of his chieftainship. If you listen to the conversation
of the people, or attend a meeting of the heads of
families for any village business, you hear that he
is addressed with such formalities as might be translated
into our English Earl, Duke, Prince, or King So-and-so;
and, instead of the plebeian you, it is, your
Highness, your Grace, your Lordship, or your Majesty.
When the ava-bowl is filled, and the cup of friendship
sent round, the first cup is handed to him. The
turtle, too, the best joint, and anything choice,
is sure to be laid before the chief. Then again,
if he wishes to marry, the heads of families vie with
each other in supplying him with all that is necessary
to provide for the feasting, and other things connected
with the ceremonies. He, on the other hand, has
to give them ample compensation for all this, by distributing
among them the fine mats which he gets as the dowry
by his bride. A chief is careful to marry only
in the family of a chief, and hence he has, by his
wife, a portion worthy of the rank of a chief’s
daughter. To some extent, these heads of families
are the bankers of the chief. His fine
mats almost all go to them, and other property too.
They, again, are ready with a supply whenever he wishes
to draw upon them, whether for fine mats, food, or
other property.

No lover of money was ever fonder of gold than a Samoan
was of his fine mats. Hence the more wives the
chief wished to have, the better the heads of families
liked it, as every marriage was a fresh source of
fine mat gain. To such an extent was this carried
on, that one match was hardly over before another
was in contemplation. If it did not originate
with the chief, the heads of families would be concocting